


in sickness

by justsomejerk



Series: Let Alex Manes bang the hot guy 2k20 (aka Alex + Forest) [4]
Category: Roswell New Mexico (TV 2019)
Genre: Established Relationship, Forest Takes Care of His Sick BF, M/M, Sickfic, Written Pre-S2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-24
Updated: 2019-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-26 20:41:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,325
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21935014
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/justsomejerk/pseuds/justsomejerk
Summary: Alex is a handful when he's sick, but Forest happily takes care of him regardless.
Relationships: Forrest Long/Alex Manes
Series: Let Alex Manes bang the hot guy 2k20 (aka Alex + Forest) [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1514165
Comments: 7
Kudos: 50





	in sickness

**Author's Note:**

  * For [EmmaArthur (EchoBleu)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/EchoBleu/gifts).



> This is a quick sequel to [ sleep awhile here in my arms (cause i'm not leaving)](https://archiveofourown.org/works/21865240) because my pal Emma requested a follow-up in which Forest spoon-feeds a sick Alex soup. Here you go!  
> Unbeta'd.

"I can't believe you're still so hot even when you're gross and full of phlegm. Are you sure you aren't an alien like half your friends?" Forest pauses at the bedroom door, leaning against the doorframe as he smirks at his bedridden boyfriend. 

A loud sniffle emanates from underneath the rumpled duvet cover. “Leave me alone in my misery!” There was a long pause before Alex's grimacing face popped out from the side of the covers and he croaked out, “and it's not half of them. I barely even _like_ Max. He just comes as a package deal with Isobel and Liz.” 

"Whatever you say, Manes." Forest winks at his boyfriend and takes the trashcan full of used tissues he has clutched in one arm to be emptied. 

He returns a few minutes later with replacement tissues, orange juice, a second humidifier and a refill on the cold medication Alex is currently on. Forest had checked with the pharmacy to ensure it was all okay to take with Alex’s other meds, but he definitely seemed to be having a strong reaction, considering his uncharacteristic honesty and moaning theatrics. 

Alex lets out a long groan, his voice muffled due to shoving his face into his pillow.

Forest chuckles as he makes his way over to perch on the bed beside him. 

Feeling the dip in the bed, Alex dramatically shoves himself over onto his back and lets out a plaintive moan. "Ugh. Baby, distract me from the fact that I'm dying. Please." 

Forest laughs. When he is begging and calling him baby, that's when he knows Alex Manes is officially Not of Sound Mind. He chuckles to himself, imagining recounting all of this to Alex later once he’s forgotten all about it.

He takes a seat on the edge of the bed before deciding to mention his encounter over at Isobel’s earlier. “Well, Isobel made soup for you, so I stopped on the way over here and, as always, Kyle was there looking like a lost puppy who believes Isobel is his owner. I caught him staring at her again with that dopey pining look he does so well.”

Alex rolls his eyes at the ceiling and tries to giggle but it comes out as a hacking cough instead. Forest rubs his back gently until his breathing is under control again, when Alex immediately launches into the type of exasperated grumbling Forest has come to recognize over the past year of dating as reserved for Kyle Valenti's specific brand of cluelessness: “God, why are they putting us through this torture? Why can't they just have sex and stop making us watch their mutual pining 24/7 like a bad piece of fanfiction?”

Forest reaches over and brushes a clump of greasy hair off his boyfriend's clammy forehead. “He’s waiting for a sign that she’s ready to date again. I think it's sweet that they're taking things so slowly.”

Alex groans. “Of course you do. You're a romantic. You're making heart eyes at me as we speak and I'm disgusting right now.”

“Would you rather I leave you quarantined here in your sickness? Leave you in the hands of our virus-immune alien pals who haven’t even stopped by to check in?” Alex only grumbles under his breath in response. In the year since the night they decided to become serious, Forest has discovered that sickness is the one thing capable of reducing his stoic boyfriend to a dishevelled pathetic mess of a person. It is equal parts delightful and annoying. 

_Maybe more annoying than delightful,_ he decides as Alex disappears underneath the duvet again with a huff. Rolling his eyes, he decides it's time to try and force food on the overgrown child capable of killing him seventeen different ways with only a spoon.

After a few minutes of heating up Isobel’s chicken soup in the cabin’s tiny kitchen, he returns to Alex’s side and pokes him through the blanket until his boyfriend’s grimacing face appears.

Forest grins winningly and shows off the bowl he is holding close to his chest. “Open up, baby.”

Alex narrows his eyes. “You know I’m the bossy one, right?”

“Yes, dear.” He says it in an exaggerated long-suffering tone he likes to adopt when Alex gets a little too ornery.

“Don’t placate me! I’m an Air Force Captain!” He follows up this aghast proclamation with a particularly long, deep sniffle and Forest throws him an exaggerated look of disgust. "Hey! What's that look? You're supposed to love me in sickness and in health!"

“And of course I _do_ , honey.” Forest is polite enough to ignore that Alex, in his medicated state, seems to believe they are married and instead shoves the spoon into Alex’s mouth. He grimaces but still it slurps down noisily.

Forest shakes his head as he dips the spoon for more. “Don’t look at me like that, you love being fed.”

“Now is not the time for double entendres, Forest.”

“Now is not the time for classic Alex sass. You don’t pull it off when you’re so gross.”

Alex barely has time to show off his best exaggerated expression of offence before Forest is nudging his closed chapped lips with another spoonful. He obligingly drinks it up. He even looks momentarily pleased at the taste, but seems to realize quickly what he’s doing and returns to looking perturbed in his dark Alex way that Forest will never _not_ find endearing.

It goes on like that for a few minutes. Forest dabs at Alex’s chin with tissues every few spoonfuls and Alex makes faces at him as often as possible, while becoming increasingly content each time Forest brings the spoon to his mouth. 

“Hey.” Forest is setting the bowl on the bedside table and throwing away the tissues when Alex sets his hand on top of his. He looks over at his boyfriend, with his red nose and eyes, looking pathetic but loving. “Thank you for taking care of me. You’re the only person who has ever done this for me. After Mimi, I guess.”

Forest smiles fiercely. “If you weren’t so contagious right now, I would kiss this hand of yours, and your lips. And then maybe a few other parts.” 

“I love you. A lot.” Alex’s eyes are watering. 

Forest suddenly realizes the sarcasm and grumbling is gone and Alex is being heartfelt. He shifts to be closer and gathers his boyfriend in his arms, resting his forehead against Alex’s clammy temple. “Hey, baby. Don’t cry. You’re just feeling emotional because you’re sick and on drugs. You know I’m gonna be here for you always, right?”

“I hope so.” Alex’s voice is muffled, as he has now pushed his head down into the shoulder of Forest’s fleece sweater. 

“You don’t have to hope. I’m right here. Have faith instead.”

“I don’t think I know how to do that.”

“Me neither, honestly. But we’ve figured out a lot of shit together over the past year. How to even _be_ together when neither of us are good at relationships, how to have the most athletic possible sex with a missing limb, how to be around your incredibly jealous ex and even sort of be friends with him.”

“The fact that you’re so confident and smug with him despite knowing he could kill you with his brain? So hot.” Alex throws his head back down into his pillow as he says it. He has a wide grin on his face as he does, looking up at his boyfriend lovingly, even with his face flushed from fever.

Forest grins. He hesitates for a moment, then decides he’s already been close enough to Alex that he’ll probably get sick anyway and throws himself over the blanket to hover above his boyfriend’s prone body. 

He spends a long time peppering kisses over his face and whispering promises for their long future together into his boyfriend’s sweaty skin. 

In sickness and in health, indeed.


End file.
